Industrial Development Bureau of MOEA, together with Shetou Township office of Changhua County, Taiwan Hosiery Manufacturers’ Association, and Changhua County Shetou Hosiery Industry Development Association, hosted the “2018 Changhua Shetou Socks and Guava Festival” and “MIT Smile Logo Product Exhibition” to promote Shetou Township’s agricultural specialty industry. The events took place on December 7 to 9 at Shetou Township’s fruit and vegetable market and Socks and Hosiery Gallery in conjunction with the celebration of the 6th Anniversary of the Socks and Hosiery Gallery and the opening of the Advanced Textile Equipment Talent Cultivation Hub. Nearly 300 MIT textile manufacturers, hosiery companies, and local agricultural specialty producers participated in the festivities, attracting approximately 300,000 visitors to successfully promote the guava industry and hosiery culture of Shetou Township.

To further assist the textile industry in central Taiwan in industrial upgrade and transformation, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) sets up an "Advanced Textile Equipment Talent Cultivation Hub" to meet the needs of the industry for talents in professional equipment. In addition to assisting the industry in immediate development and expanding sales in the international market, textile manufacturers in central Taiwan are also connected for talent matchmaking and product design development to effectively fill the gaps in industrial chain technology and design talent shortage. Special attention is given to shortages in advanced industry-related equipment operators, quantifying manufacturers’ demands, combining resources from the government and associations, and integrating training hub platforms to cultivate at a rate of at least 20 machine operators and technicians a year.

We hope to create a reserve of advanced equipment talents and to help the industry understand the importance of updated equipment in the promotion of investment and improvement of product quality and varieties. Furthermore, we hope to achieve the goal of lowering manufacturing and labor costs for the overall improvement of industrial competitiveness.